-- One of a Kind Pet Rescue will add retail space and kennel areas by razing W. Market St. bowling alley --

A West Akron animal rescue group will move next year from the building it shares with a Circle K station into a larger facility that will feature expanded retail space to help fund the organization's mission.

One of a Kind Pet Rescue, dedicated to the adoption of homeless pets in imminent danger of euthanasia, has outgrown the location that opened at 1699 W. Market St. in 2005, founder Lisa Holland-Toth said.

The agency will break ground in March for an 8,000-square-foot building that will allow more retail space, featuring animal-theme gifts, novelties, pet supplies and food, to help finance the adoption center.

''It's going to be a state-of-the-art pet store with a larger selection. It will allow dogs and cats a more spacious, relaxed and uncrowded setting until they find a forever home,'' Holland-Toth said Monday.

The building, slated to open in October, will sit behind the Walgreens drugstore about one-eighth mile west of the current location. The former Fairlawn Bowling Lanes will be razed after the first of the year to make room for the adoption center, said Georjette Thomas, director of organization advancement for the group.

The agency expects to fund the $800,000 facility through private donations, Holland-Toth said. It hopes to raise the cost to finish and furnish the interior through retail sales and donations, she said.

The new building, at 1718 Saddlewood Ave., will be visible from Market Street because it will have elevated roof lines, Thomas said. Visitors will be able to identify the location by a huge pink metal-sculpture sphere that will stand in front of the building and will serve as a landmark to guide customers.

The building will feature glassed-in rooms so the public can more easily view the fully vetted dogs and cats that will be available for adoption.

The agency also expects to offer summer camps for kids interested in pet welfare, Holland-Toth said.

The agency offers low-cost spay and neuter and other veterinary services at its clinic at 1700 W. Exchange St. The clinic opened in 2007.